Sebastian Hoeneß: The greatest possible challenge awaits

When FC Bayern host VfB Stuttgart on Sunday evening (19.30 CET) for the southern summit and top-three clash on Matchday 15, it will be a return to his home city for VfB head coach Sebastian Hoeneß. Born in Munich, Hoeneß worked for the German record champions' academy from 2017 to 2020, winning the 3. Liga (national third division) with the second team. The 41-year-old has been in charge of Stuttgart since April and has led the Swabians from the bottom of the table to the Champions League spots. In an interview with fcbayern.com, Hoeneß talks about his connection with both clubs, the foundations for VfB's current success and, of course, the upcoming clash at the Allianz Arena.

The interview with Sebastian Hoeneß

Servus, Mr Hoeneß! On Sunday, you will be visiting your former club FC Bayern as head coach of VfB Stuttgart. How much are you looking forward to returning for the day?

Hoeneß: "Coming to Munich and playing against FC Bayern is always something special for me. The fact that we are currently almost neck and neck in the table with FC Bayern makes it even more special."

The FC Bayern – VfB Stuttgart clash has a lot of tradition. What do you personally associate with the clash and the two clubs?"

"They are certainly the two clubs with which I am most emotionally connected. I've been in the stands a few times as a Bayern sympathiser, primarily because of my family ties, of course. And I've also been rooting for VfB a few times, for example when my father was in charge there; we lived in Stuttgart and I myself was a youth player at VfB. At some point I went back to Munich as a youth coach and now I'm back in Stuttgart as head coach. That's something special, which is why it was so easy for me to feel at home in Stuttgart straight away."

If someone had told you at the beginning of April, when you took over as head coach at VfB, that you would be travelling to Munich just before Christmas fighting for second place in an absolute Bundesliga show-stopper, how would you have reacted?

"Obviously we didn't expect it. We hoped that we could carry over the momentum from the good final phase of last season. We then had a good start and are now on a roll, which has spread to all aspects of our game and it will probably end up being a good first half of the season for us. We're all very happy about that. And that's why it's simply a great pleasure for us to be able to play a game in Munich while in this position."

Under your leadership as coach, VfB have gone from relegation candidates to a team in the top four of the league in recent months. Where do you see the foundations for this?

"There are multiple reasons and processes to thank for this. Firstly, we have a good team with good players and good characters, a good management structure. We were able to maintain this with our new signings in the summer, and perhaps even expand it a little. So we have a really good spirit, a team player mentality and also a good work ethic. That, combined with the confidence that has come from our good run, has enabled us to take home so many points."

Many people talk about Stuttgart as the surprise team of the season. Why do you think it's no surprise that you're in the upper echelons of the table?

"The decisive factor is the way we can play and we already showed signs of that last year. What's more, we've been able to develop our footballing approach and have managed to realise our ideas on the pitch in most games. When we manage to do that, we’re successful. That doesn't come as a surprise to me. But of course, the fact that we'll probably be in the top four at the end of the year after battling relegation in the summer is surprising."

Bayern were able to show a reaction after the 5-1 defeat in Frankfurt on Tuesday in the Champions League with a 1-0 win at Manchester United. What do you expect from FCB on Sunday?

"They will be highly motivated and will do everything they can to win their last home game of the year. The greatest possible challenge awaits us, but we are still delighted to have the opportunity to compete with the team that has shaped the last few years of German football. We also hope that we can upset them if we have a good day. Now it's up to us to have a good day on Sunday."

David Krecidlo, who was already your assistant coach with the U19s and the FC Bayern reserves, is also assisting you in Stuttgart. How important is he to you in your day-to-day work?

"He's hugely important to me, he's been at my side for years and has also played a very significant role in my own development. With that said, I don't really see it as my development, but as our development. We trust each other 100 per cent, we complement each other. He is also a huge factor in the positive development we have now made at VfB."

Angelo Stiller and Wooyeong Jeong are two players in your squad who you have already trained in Munich. How are they developing?

"Things could hardly have gone better for Angelo, both for him and for us. He is currently an undisputed regular. That was his goal when he joined us. We needed a new signing who knows our style of play, can bring it onto the pitch and is immediately able to play in the Bundesliga. He's proven that very impressively. With Woo, you have to look at things a little differently. He started really well and helped us get off to a good start to the season. Then he was at the Asian Games with the South Korean U23s, became top scorer and they won the title, which was an incredible success for him, and it also exempted him from military service. In general, however, he perhaps didn't always have the necessary freshness afterwards. But he is an important part of our squad and always provides impetus in the offence.”

Are you still in contact with former FC Bayern colleagues and to what extent do you still follow what's happening on Campus?

"I still follow what's going on, especially with regard to the U19s and the reserves. I'm still in contact with Jochen Sauer and Dirk Teschke, among others, as well as my former players Timo Kern, Maxi Welzmüller and Nico Feldhahn, some of whom are still playing or working at the Campus in other capacities."

The most important facts about the FCB vs. VfB clash: